Donnie Abraham

Last updated

Donnie Abraham
St. Louis Battlehawks
Position: Defensive coordinator
Personal information
Born: (1973-10-08) October 8, 1973 (age 51)
Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school: Wilkinson
(Orangeburg, South Carolina)
College: East Tennessee State (1992–1995)
NFL draft: 1996: 3rd round, 71st pick
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:442
Sacks:2.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:8
Interceptions:38
Touchdowns:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Nathaniel Donnell Abraham (born October 8, 1973) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the current defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft. [1] In his career, he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996–2001) and the New York Jets (2002–2004).

Contents

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+6⁄10 in
(1.77 m)		190 lb
(86 kg)		32 in
(0.81 m)		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		4.61 s1.58 s2.65 s4.05 s32 in
(0.81 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		13 reps
All values from NFL Combine [2]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Abraham in the third round (71st overall) of the 1996 NFL draft. He was the ninth cornerback selected and the first of two cornerbacks selected by the Buccaneers in 1996, along with sixth round pick (221st overall) Reggie Rusk.

He became only the seventh player from East Tennessee State to be selected in the NFL Draft since 1967. Abraham was the first player drafted from East Tennessee State since Thane Gash in 1988 and also surpassed 1975 fourth round pick (99th overall) Dennis Law to become the highest draft pick in school history. [3] No player drafted to the NFL from East Tennessee State since Abraham as of 2025.

1996

On July 15, 1996, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Abraham to a three–year, $920,000 rookie contract that included an initial signing bonus of $300,000. [4] [5] [6]

He entered training camp slated as the starting nickelback under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Head coach Tony Dungy named Abraham a backup and listed him as the starting nickelback to begin the season, behind returning starting duo Martin Mayhew and Charles Dimry. [7]

On September 1, 1996, Abraham made his professional regular season debut in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' home-opener against the Green Bay Packers and made two solo tackles, one pass deflection, and a fumble recovery in a 34–3 loss. [8] The following week, Abraham earned his first career start as a nickelback and set a season-high with nine combined tackles (seven solo) during a 6–21 loss at the Detroit Lions in Week 2. [9] On September 15, 1996, Abraham made three combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass John Elway threw to wide receiver Mike Sherrard during a 23–27 loss at the Denver Broncos. [10] Entering Week 8, head coach Tony Dungy named Abraham the No. 2 starting cornerback, supplanting Charles Dimry, who was demoted to the primary backup for the rest of the season. [11] In Week 8, he earned his first start at outside corner and produced three solo tackles as the Buccaneers lost 9–13 at the Arizona Cardinals.

"After you’ve been around him a couple of days, you realize he’s something special,” Bucs veteran strong safety. I can’t speak enough about him the way he’s come in, in one of the toughest positions to play as a rookie." [7]

On November 17, 1996, Abraham recorded four solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and led a fourth quarter comeback as the Buccaneers were losing 13–17 at the San Diego Chargers with 8:31 remaining in the fourth quarter by intercepting a pass Stan Humphries threw to wide receiver Shannon Mitchell and returned it for 21–yards to the Chargers' 13–yard line. [12] His interception quickly led to a 27–yard chip shot field goal by Michael Husted and ignited the Bucs to score 12 unanswered points to defeat the Chargers 25–17. [13] [14] This became Abraham's breakout performance, garnering him nationwide recognition, and cemented himself as the No. 2 starting cornerback. [11] [15] [16] The following week, he made three solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass Jim Everett threw to wide receiver Michael Haynes as the Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints 13–7 in Week 13. [17] He finished his rookie season with 63 combined tackles (53 solo), 12 pass deflections, five interceptions, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and 12 starts. [18]

1997

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers revamped their group of cornerbacks following the season due to the departures of Martin Mayhew and Charles Dimry via free agency. They signed experienced starting veteran cornerback Anthony Parker as a free agent and selected Ronde Barber in the third round (66th overall) and Al Harris in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 1997 NFL draft. [19] Abraham entered training camp slated as the de facto No. 1 starting cornerback entering his second season. Head coach Tony Dungy named Abraham and Anthony Parker as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. [20]

On September 28, 1997, Abraham recorded four solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass attempt by Kent Graham as the Buccaneers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 18–19. [21] In Week 10, he set a season-high with six solo tackles, made three pass deflections, and sealed a 31–28 victory at the Indianapolis Colts by intercepting a pass Kelly Holcomb threw to wide receiver Aaron Bailey with less than two minutes remaining. [22] He started all 16 games throughout the season for the first time in his career and recorded 56 combined tackles (46 solo), 18 pass deflections, five interceptions, and one fumble recovery. [18] [23]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the 1997 NFL season in second place in the NFC Central with a 10–6 record to earn a Wild-Card berth. On December 28, 1997, Abraham started in his first career playoff game and recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and made two pass deflections as the Buccaneers defeated the Detroit Lions 10–20 in the NFC Wild-Card Game. On January 4, 1998, Abraham made one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by Brett Favre during a 7–21 loss at the defending Super Bowl XXXI Champions the Green Bay Packers. [24]

1998

On July 7, 1998, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Abraham to a five–year, $17.50 million contract that included $10 million guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $2.5 million. The deal restructured the last year Abraham still had remaining from his rookie contract in 1996 and added a four–year extension that kept him under contract throughout the 2002 NFL season. [4] [6]

He returned to training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback under assistant head coach Herm Edwards and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. The Buccaneers selected cornerback Brian Kelly in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft to compete with Anthony Parker for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback. Floyd Young competed against Ronde Barber and Al Harris to retain his position as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. Head coach Tony Dungy named Abraham and Anthony Parker as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season, alongside Floyd Young as the starting nickelback. [25]

On October 9, 1998, the NFL issued a $5,000 fine to Abraham for an incident during a 20–5 win against the New York Giants in Week 5, where Abraham threw an illegal blow with his forearm to the head of wide receiver Ike Hilliard, which led to a 15–yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. [26] In Week 7, Abraham recorded three solo tackles before he exited during the fourth quarter of a 16–13 victory against the Carolina Panthers due to a knee sprain. [27] He was diagnosed with a knee sprain after undergoing an MRI and remained inactive for the next three games (Weeks 8–10). In Week 8, No. 2 starting cornerback Anthony Parker injured his hamstring and subsequently remained inactive for five games (Weeks 9–13). During their absence, rookie Brian Kelly and Ronde Barber filled in as the starting cornerbacks until Abraham and Parker returned from their injuries. [28] Throughout the season, Ronde Barber had quickly climbed the depth chart after overtaking Floyd Young prior to Week 2. Entering Week 12, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin made two the decision to promote Ronde Barber to the No. 2 starting cornerback after he impressively performed well enough to supplant Brian Kelly. Abraham and Barber started the final six games of the season beside one another even upon Anthony Parker's return from injury. [29] In Week 14, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (four solo), one pass break-up, and a fumble recovery as the Buccaneers defeated the Green Bay Packers 24–22. On December 13, 1998, Abraham made two solo tackles, two pass deflections, and sealed a 16–3 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers by intercepting a pass Kordell Stewart threw to wide receiver Charles Johnson with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. [30] He finished the 1998 NFL season with 39 combined tackles (33 solo), two fumble recoveries, and had one interception in 13 games and 13 starts. [18] [31]

1999

Training camp began with Abraham and Ronde Barber projected as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season following the departure of Anthony Parker. Head coach Tony Dungy rectified the secondary entering the season, naming Abraham and Ronde Barber as the starting cornerbacks, alongside Brian Kelly as the nickelback. Damien Robinson earned the starting free safety role following the departure of Charles Mincy and was paired with leading strong safety John Lynch. [32]

In Week 10, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (eight solo), made two pass deflections, and made the first sack of his career on Elvis Grbac for a nine–yard loss as the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 10–17. [33] [34] On November 21, 1999, Abraham made two solo tackles, two pass deflections, set a season-high with two interceptions, and secured a 10–19 victory against the Atlanta Falcons by intercepting Chris Chandler's pass that he caught after it bounced off running back Winslow Oliver and returned it for 47–yards to score the first touchdown of his career with only 41 seconds remaining. [35] The Buccaneers scored 19 unanswered points as the defense held the Falcons scoreless for three quarters to comeback from a 10-point deficit. [36] The following week, he recorded six combined tackles (five solo), made two pass deflections, and picked off a pass attempt thrown by Jon Kitna during a 16–3 victory at the Seattle Seahawks. [37] On December 6, 1999, Abraham recorded four solo tackles, set a career-high with five pass deflections, made two interceptions, and returned one for a touchdown as the Buccaneers defeated the Minnesota Vikings. [38] [39] During the Vikings' opening drive in the first quarter, Abraham intercepted a pass Jeff George threw to wide receiver Cris Carter and returned it for a 55–yard touchdown. [40] In Week 17, Abraham produced two solo tackles, one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his seventh interception of the season on a pass Cade McNown threw to wide receiver Bobby Engram during a 20–6 victory at the Chicago Bears. [41] He started in all 16 games throughout the season and set career-high marks with 72 combined tackles (65 solo), 25 pass deflections, seven interceptions, two sacks, and two touchdowns. [18] His best statistical season earned him a selection to the 2000 Pro Bowl, marking the first and only Pro Bowl selection of his career. His seven interceptions tied four others for the most interceptions in 2000, including James Hasty, Troy Vincent, Rod Woodson, and Sam Madison.

2000–2002

On March 14, 2002, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially released Abraham after six seasons in a salary cap decision. [6]

New York Jets

On April 23, 2002, the New York Jets signed Abraham to a six–year, $17.50 million contract that included $5 million guaranteed. [42] [43]

On July 18, 2005, Abraham officially announced his retirement after announcing the possibility of retirement following the 2004 NFL season. He cited his desire to spend more time with his family as the main reason for his decision. [44]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCombSoloAstSckIntYdsTDLngFFFRYdsTD
1996 TAM 1612585080.05270210230
1997 TAM 16165444100.05160160120
1998 TAM 1313383260.013030200
1999 TAM 16167965142.071152551000
2000 TAM 16165746110.07820231000
2001 TAM 1553929100.06980460100
2002 NYJ 1616534760.04490230000
2003 NYJ 82111100.01120120000
2004 NYJ 16165338150.026616602391
132112442362802.03846836628441

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCombSoloAstSckIntYdsTDLngFFFRYdsTD
1997 TAM 225500.020000000
1999 TAM 228710.000000000
2000 TAM 113210.010000000
2001 TAM 114400.000000000
2002 NYJ 222200.000000000
2004 NYJ 226600.000000100
1010282620.030000100

Life after football

After considering retirement since the 2004 season ended, he finally decided to do so on July 15, 2005. [45] Although he had two restaurant businesses going in South Carolina, Abrahams was searching for a post-playing occupation, and during his playing years he swore to himself that he would never become a coach. However, while on the sidelines of his oldest son's youth football practice, a local high school coach, whose son played on the same team as Abraham's, approached him about helping out his team. Before long, Abraham became the head coach at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. [46]

Abraham guided Gibbs to its first district title in 2009 but resigned after a 3–7 season in 2010. He was defensive backs coordinator (2011–2012) at Tampa Bay Storm and later (2012) at East Lake High School. In 2013, he was the head coach of the Clearwater High School football team and resigned in 2015. [47] He was (2015–2017) the defensive coordinator at IMG Academy, in Bradenton, Florida. [48] On February 15, 2017, he was named defensive assistant coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini football, joining Head Coach Lovie Smith's coaching team. [49] [50] Abraham left the Illinois program in the summer of 2018.

In November 2018, Abraham joined Steve Spurrier's Orlando Apollos coaching staff as defensive backs coach. [51]

In June 2022, Abraham joined Anthony Becht's coaching staff as the Defensive Coordinator of St. Louis. [52]

Personal life

Abraham's son, Micah, played college football at Marshall and was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. [53]

References

  1. ↑ "1996 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ "NFL Scouting Combine Results Top Overall 1996". fantasypros.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ "East Tennessee State Alumni". etsualumni.org. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Stroud, Rick (July 7, 1998). "Abraham gets new contract". TampaBay.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Lynch, Abraham sign with Buccaneers". United Press International. July 15, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Pasquerelli, Len (March 14, 2002). "Veteran CB Abraham too expensive for Bucs to keep". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Abraham Provides Air-tight Defense". Orlando Sentinel. November 17, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  8. ↑ "NFL.com: Donnie Abraham Game Logs (1996)". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Pro-Football-Reference: Donnie Abraham Game Logs (1996)". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos — September 15th, 1996". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Meet the toast of the town". Tampa Bay Times. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Buccaneers 25, Chargers 17". Chicago Tribune. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers — November 17th, 1996". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Dolphins Win on Last-Play Field Goal". the New York Times. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Bucs' natives catch Chargers". Tampa Bay Times. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  16. ↑ "This time, mistakes go Tampa Bay's way". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1996. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ "New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — November 24th, 1996". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Pro-Football-Reference: Donnie Career Overview". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Bucs make an offer to keep CB Mayhew". Tampa Bay Times. April 24, 1997. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ "2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers". vault.si.com. September 1, 1997. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Arizona Cardinals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — September 28th, 1997". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts— November 2nd, 1997". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  23. ↑ "NFL.com: Donnie Abraham Game Logs (1997)". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Divisional Round - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers - January 4th, 1998". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ Stroud, Rick (September 11, 1998). "Secondary will get a shake up". TampaBay.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Jets' Foley will start". the Washington Post. October 9, 1998. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Abraham undergoes MRI on left knee". UPI.com. October 19, 1998. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Abraham returns probable Sunday". Orlando Sentinel. November 27, 1998. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  29. ↑ Stroud, Rick (November 28, 1998). "Bucs getting to know Bears' QB". TampaBay.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - December 13th, 1998". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  31. ↑ "NFL.com: Donnie Abraham Game Logs (1998)". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  32. ↑ King, Peter (August 30, 1999). "2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Success is dependent on the performance of sixth-year quarterback Trent Dilfer, who (this time we mean it) is facing a make-or-break season". vault.si.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - November 14th, 1999". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Bucs hold off Chiefs". TheLedger.com. November 15, 1999. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - November 21st, 1999". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  36. ↑ Associated Press (November 22, 1999). "N.F.L.: WEEK 11 -- YESTERDAY; Cards Halt Smith On Pivotal Series". the New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks- November 28th, 1999". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at- December 6th, 1999". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  39. ↑ "King leads Bucs over the Vikings". Pocono Record. December 6, 1999. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  40. ↑ "Bucs force four turnovers, win 5th straight". ESPN.com. December 6, 1999. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears - January 2nd, 2000". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  42. ↑ Stroud, Rick (April 23, 2002). "Abraham winds up with Jets, Edwards". TampaBay.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  43. ↑ Battista, Judy (April 23, 2002). "PRO FOOTBALL; Donnie Abraham Emerges From Draft Intrigue as a Jet". New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Jets' Abraham announces his retirement". patriots.com. July 18, 2005. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  45. ↑ "Jets CB Abraham decides to retire". National Football League. Hempstead, New York. July 15, 2005. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Life After Football: Donnie Abraham". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Coaches".
  48. ↑ "Football Academy - Football Program". IMG Academy.
  49. ↑ "NFL veteran Donnie Abraham joins Illinois' coaching staff". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. February 16, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  50. ↑ "Q&A with ex-Bucs CB Donnie Abraham, now coaching at Illinois". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  51. ↑ Ruiz, Stephen (November 8, 2018). "Steve Spurrier's first staff with Apollos includes Super Bowl champions, former Gators". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  52. ↑ "XFL Announces Key Football Hires and Coaching Staff for its Eight Teams". www.xfl.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  53. ↑ Schultheis, Luke (April 27, 2024). "Colts select Marshall DB Micah Abraham with 201st pick in 6th round during 2024 NFL Draft". Stampede Blue. SB Nation. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
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